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Daily Dose Of Interesting Information

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#61. Body Language.



At times our words can hide our real feelings—may be due to lying, or due tense, frightened and embarrassed feelings. At such times, truth emerges in non-verbal forms– involving change in postures, gestures, twitches and facial expressions. All these are now denoted by the very popular term “Body Language”. It is a part of Para language.
Body language included several subtle movements like winking, moving eye brows and other facial expressions. A person crossing his arms across his chest may show his opposition to an idea, or keep aloof by putting a barrier between him and the world.

 One of the most important means of non verbal communication is the eye contact. Intense eye contacts have measurable physiological effects, such as increased pulse rate and changes in the complexion and color of the face. A person blushes with excitement or shame, grows pale in fear and turns red when angry. These body languages are understood universally.

 At the place of work, intense eye contact may mean superiority or hostility. Looking away is a signal of submission, weakness and evasion. Clenched fist shows the effort made to hold one’s temper and biting nails is an anxiety syndrome.

 An averted gaze shows disloyalty or falsehood. Head turned to one side with unfocused gaze means boredom. Deceit and withholding of vital information is accompanied by touching ones face during conversation.

 Much of the body language is culture oriented. In some cultures youngsters and subordinates are forbidden to look into the eyes of older people and those in authority. In these cases an averted glance need not signify false hood or deceit. It may be due to the respect being shown.

 The study of non verbal communication is much older than we tend imagine. Today the people are aware of the significances of their gestures and postures and use them wisely to create the impression they want to create.

Visalakshi Ramani


 
#82. Types of Thinking.

For some questions there is only one correct answer–like the sum of the numbers 6 and 8 or the location of Taj Mahal. Thinking process involved in this is called ‘Convergent Thinking’. This is the opposite of ‘Divergent Thinking’ process.

 ‘Divergent thinking’ tries to find many possible solutions to any single problem. It expands a person’s mind. It allows creative thinking as there can be more than one solution to a problem.

 The goal of divergent thinking is to generate as many ideas as possible. This thought process is spontaneous and free flowing. Ideas may be random and unorganized. Convergent thinking should follow divergent thinking to organize these ideas in an orderly fashion.

 ‘Critical thinking’ is involved when we try to assess the worth and validity of some existing things or theories. This requires precise ‘objective analysis’, which is a convergent thinking process.

 ‘Creative thinking’ is to generate new ideas which are as good as, or better than, the existing ones. This involves divergent thinking.

 ‘Inductive thinking’ is to reason from the smaller parts to the whole and from the examples to generalization.

 ‘Deductive thinking’ is to reason from the whole to its parts and from generalization to the examples.

 Thinking is a special gift given only to human beings and the almost-human-primates. The rest of the creation lives by its instinct and not by thinking and solving problems.

Visalakshi Ramani


 
Yes indeed! The more amazing fact is that they bloom ONLY in deserts!

We can never cease wondering at God's creations!

The flower plants raised by us with utmost care, wither away if not attended to

properly, even for a few days.

Who waters these desert plants where the annual rain fall is almost negligible?
 
#63. Memory Techniques.


There are many memory aiding techniques to help us remember lists, speeches and other unrelated but important information. The secret lies in making useful connection between the unconnected information to be remembered.

 Musicians remember telephone numbers as a tune, by allotting each of the numbers its position in the musical scale! Ordinary people can employ several other methods equally efficiently.

 An “Acronym” can be formed using a letter from each of the words to be remembered. The most famous acronym is the VIBGYOR, the colour in a rainbow from the lowest to the topmost. BRASS is the secret of good shooting. It means Breathe, Relax, Aim, Sight and Squeeze.

 “Acrostic” is an invented sentence where the first few letters of each word is a cue to the idea to be remembered. The famous calendar acrostic goes thus:-
Janet was quite ill one day,
Febrile trouble came her way:
Martyr like she lay in bed,
Aproned nurses softly sped;
May be, said the leech judicial,
Junket would be beneficial;
The first three letters in each line was from the names of a calendar month.

 “Rhyme-Key” method involves creating a key word and associating ideas with it. “One” rhymes with “bun” and can be associated with all bakery products. “Two” rhymes with “shoe” and can be used to remember things with legs. “Three” rhymes with “tree” and can be used for remembering fruits from trees.

 “Image Name” technique involves relating the name to the physical appearance of the person. “Shirley Temple” has “Curly hair” around her “temple”.

 “Loci Method” involves pinning down the facts on to the familiar settings like one’s own home. Each idea is attached to a room and as we take a mental tour in the house the ideas attached emerge in our memory.

 Most things can be easily remembered and used to astonish our circle of friends, by successfully employing the most suitable memory technique.

Visalakshi Ramani




 
#64. Types of Listening.

We all appear to listen attentively to what is being told to us. But surprisingly we hardly listen to 50% of what is being told to us and later on hardly remember 50% of what we had listened to!

 This is due to the defective listening techniques we employ. There are several defective listening techniques like ‘false listening’, ‘initial listening’ and ‘partial listening’. On the other hand ‘good listening’ can be either ‘full listening’ or ‘deep listening’.

 False listening occurs when a person pretends to listen keenly, but actually nothing gets registered in his mind. People who are known to indulge in this kind of listening are the Royalty, Politicians, Sports stars, Film stars and famous persons in any other field. They are forced to listen to a lot of talk, from persons whom they may never meet again! So they need not listen to nor remember, what they are being told!

 Initial listening is when we listen to the opening remark, immediately form an opinion about it and wait for a chance to voice it. We stop listening to everything that follows the initial remark.

 Partial listening is what most of us do most of the time! We listen a little and soon get diverted or distracted and lose the continuity.

 Full listening is the most active form of listening. The listener pays close attention to the speaker and understands thoroughly what is being conveyed to him.

 Deep listening is, when we not only listen to the words being spoken, but also understand the underlying emotions. We watch the body language of the speaker. We grasp the needs, preferences, biases, values and beliefs of the speaker. Deep listening is called as “the whole person listening”. It is also the wholesome listening technique.

 It is said that, “The best gift you can ever give a woman is your undivided attention.” This is the gift every woman seeks for, all her life, but sadly very few ever receive it!

Visalakshi Ramani


 
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#65. Selective Listening.


There are many similarities in the ways the brain processes the sound signals and the visual images. But there are many differences too. The main difference relates to the attention we pay.

 We have more control on what we want to see than what we want to hear. Why?

 We can turn our head and look at the object of interest without any disturbances. But it is difficult to listen just to the sound that interests us. We always hear overlapping and conflicting sounds which cause chaos. But this problem is settled in a unique way!

 We can mentally choose to focus on one sound and block out the other conflicting sounds. This ability is called ‘Selective listening’. When two different stories are read out, in the two ears of a person simultaneously, he can decide to hear any one of them fully and just skip the other willfully.

 We communicate through languages which have both sound and meaning. We understand coherent and meaningful words but not disconnected and meaningless chatter. Even in a crowded room filled with multi-lingual-babble, we can hear our name being called out softly, by some one, somewhere in the crowd.

 Selective listening is an everyday business for almost every one. A person immersed in a T.V show is virtually deaf to all the other sounds around him. Have you ever watched a person working on a P.C? He is in the deepest form of meditation—lost to the entire external world! Many domestic quarrels result from this kind of selective listening.

 It is amazing to watch students who use music as a barrier to all the other sounds. Have you watched a person studying hard for an upcoming exam, while music is played around him, round the clock? The music does not disturb his study but helps to keep off all the other unpleasant and disturbing sounds.

 Diamond cuts a diamond. So too a pleasant sound cuts off an unpleasant sound!

Visalakshi Ramani
 
#66. The Most Common Phobia!


Arachnophobia is the abnormal fear of spiders. The Greek word Arachne means a spider and phobia is any abnormal, irrational and inexplicable fear. This is the most commonly prevalent among all the phobias known to us.

 Persons suffering from Arachnophobia feel uneasy in any area which has a spider or even a web. The picture or photo of a spider affects them in the same way, as a real spider would do.

 According to a Greek legend, Arachne was a famous weaver and a proud princess. She challenged Goddess Athena to a weaving contest to prove her skill. Angered by the pride of mere mortal, Athena destroyed Arachne’s Tapestry and loom with her shuttle. Arachne hung herself in despair and shame.

 Athena took pity on the girl and transformed to a spider before she could die of hanging. The spider retained all her weaving skill and is weaving lovely, gauzy webs to this day!

 The famous legend about King Robert Bruce of Scotland depicts the spider as a symbol of hope and perseverance. It seemed to say, “Try, try and try again till you win!”

 The spider has held a special place in fables, ancient mythology and symbolism. The spider symbolizes patience due to its hunting techniques of setting up a web and waiting for it prey. It symbolizes mischief and malice for its poison cause slow death. Its venom itself symbolizes a curse.

 Ron Weasley, Harry Potter’s bosom friend is depicted as an Arachnophobic. Rupert Grint, who plays the role, is himself an Arachnophobic. The fear and dislike he portrays in the presence of the spiders, is extremely impressive. What was the reason? …

 His emotions were genuine and not just acted in front of a camera!

Visalakshi Ramani
 
Visalakshi Ramani said:
#64. Types of Listening.

We all appear to listen attentively to what is being told to us. But surprisingly we hardly listen to 50% of what is being told to us and later on hardly remember 50% of what we had listened to!

 This is due to the defective listening techniques we employ. There are several defective listening techniques like ‘false listening’, ‘initial listening’ and ‘partial listening’. On the other hand ‘good listening’ can be either ‘full listening’ or ‘deep listening’.

 False listening occurs when a person pretends to listen keenly, but actually nothing gets registered in his mind. People who are known to indulge in this kind of listening are the Royalty, Politicians, Sports stars, Film stars and famous persons in any other field. They are forced to listen to a lot of talk, from persons whom they may never meet again! So they need not listen to nor remember, what they are being told!

 Initial listening is when we listen to the opening remark, immediately form an opinion about it and wait for a chance to voice it. We stop listening to everything that follows the initial remark.

 Partial listening is what most of us do most of the time! We listen a little and soon get diverted or distracted and lose the continuity.

 Full listening is the most active form of listening. The listener pays close attention to the speaker and understands thoroughly what is being conveyed to him.

 Deep listening is, when we not only listen to the words being spoken, but also understand the underlying emotions. We watch the body language of the speaker. We grasp the needs, preferences, biases, values and beliefs of the speaker. Deep listening is called as “the whole person listening”. It is also the wholesome listening technique.

 It is said that, “The best gift you can ever give a woman is your undivided attention.” This is the gift every woman seeks for, all her life, but sadly very few ever receive it!

Visalakshi Ramani


Click to expand...


The problem starts once the woman starts demanding undivided listening from her man all the time and not the other way round even for once for a change.
 
The pity is that, in spite of demanding undivided attention all the time, women

hardly get it even for a minute in all their married lives!

The husband seems to become a 'para brahma swaroopan' - not reachable by

any means of communication!:peace:
 
#67. The Fear Of Open Space!


Fear is an ancient and universal emotion in Man. Fear may be due to one of these two reasons: – fear of losing what we do not want to lose and the fear of getting what we do not want to get. Fear gives rise to two possible actions, Fight or Flight. When we are confident that we can handle the situation, we fight and when the situation looks hopeless, we take to flight.

 Fear is accompanied by a host of disturbing symptoms like the flushing of the face, increased heart beat and muscular activity. The body prepares itself for the fight or flight. Some of our fears are inexplicable, unfounded, and irrational. These fears affect our day to day life very badly.

 A systematic avoidance of a situation, leading to a fear, is called a Phobia. A phobia is a panic reaction caused by certain stimuli or situations in some persons. Phobia can be due to any reason, an object as small as a spider or one as large as a sky scraper.

 Agoraphobia is the irrational fear of ‘Agora’ or the open space. In ancient Greece, this was the place where market was located. Though Agoraphobia is the fear of going to an open place outside the house, this may modify into other forms such as leaving the safety one’s house, traveling alone without a companion, being in the middle of a huge crowd and standing in long serpentine queues.

 People, who suffer from this phobia, become anxious in unfamiliar surroundings and places on which they have very little control. They may feel trapped and insecure–away from the comfort zone of their home. Though they may not like to leave their house, they are delighted to receive the guests at the safety on their homes.

 Agoraphobia is twice as common in women as in men. In general, Women avoid facing difficult situations and let the men folk cope up with these hardships and hurdles. Men who try drown their fears and anxieties in drinks and become branded as alcoholics.But women seek help for the actual problems and try to get out of their phobias.

 The opposite of Agoraphobia is Claustrophobia, the fear of enclosed space. People who suffer from this phobia will fear getting trapped in a traffic jam, inside a lift cabin and in shopping places full of strangers.

Visalakshi Ramani
 
#68. The Fear Of Size!


It is said that “Small is beautiful”. The modern concept is that “Slim is beautiful”. So many adolescent girls and young women, who dream of possessing pencil-thin figures, get into eating disorders.

 The eating disorders are of two kinds, Anorexia and Bulimia Nervosa. Anorexia means a lack of desire to eat. Girls and women suffering from this disorder keep away from food by starving. They use diet pills and do excessive exercises to keep the body weight low.

 The well known symptoms are keeping the body weight far less than the ideal weight; intense fear of putting on weight; irregular menstrual cycles and other disorders related to eating.

 Anorexia puts a strain on the heart and lowers the heart rate. It throws the electrolyte balance and hormonal balance out of gear. It causes muscle weakness, osteoporosis and immune dysfunction and may lead to premature death.

 People who suffer from Bulimia Nervosa find it difficult to fast or keep away from food. They have a ‘ravenous hunger’ as meant by the name of the disorder. They indulge in ‘binge eating’ and purge or vomit the food eaten–in an effort to keep thin.

 The onset of Bulimia Nervosa is in the age range of 13 to 20 years. It is difficult to detect the disorder, as the person looks healthy and appears to eat well. But the repeated cycles of binging and purging have devastating effects on the body.

 The strong gastric acids erode the teeth enamel and lacerate the lining of the mouth and throat. The person may suffer from dehydration and potassium depletion. The salivary glands get swollen.

 A well developed personality can cover up many defects in a person’s appearance. So the young girls need to strive to become wholesome and attractive personalities, rather than pencil-thin-girls with several severe health problems.

Visalakshi Ramani
 
#69. Dreams and Discoveries.


More discoveries are done in dreams than the “world could dream of!” Do you know why? Dreams make use of our fullest knowledge and experience. They can make use of the facts, which we are not aware of knowing, when we are awake!

 Dreaming allows us to tap the hidden knowledge when we seek a solution to a problem. People want “to sleep on a problem” before they make am important decision, since they are sure to find the answer in their dreams.

 The story of the Benzene ring is very popular. Benzene is a clear, colorless, highly refractive and inflammable organic liquid. It is derived from petroleum and is used in the manufacture of a number of chemical products.

 It is an organic compound with 6 carbon and 6 hydrogen atoms, in it molecule. Carbon can form four chemical bonds while hydrogen can form only one bond. The structure of benzene eluded the scientist for a very long time–since they could not satisfy all the chemical bonds, when they imagined the structure of benzene along a straight line.

 German Chemist Friedrich August Kekule spent sleepless nights over this problem. One night he dreamt of a snake. It was going round and round for a while and suddenly grabbed its own tail in its mouth to form a ring.

 The Solution dawned immediately on Kekule that structure of benzene was in the form of a ring and not along a straight line. A Hexagonal diagram with a carbon atom in each vertex (attached to a hydrogen atom) and alternate single and double bonds between the six carbon atoms satisfied all the rules correctly. Thus the puzzle of the benzene ring was solved in a dream.

 Russian chemist Dimitri Mandeleev found his famous “Periodic Table of the Elements” in one of his dreams.

 The American inventor Elias Howe had worked hard for years to perfect the design of his sewing machine. But success came only after he dreamt that he had been ordered on pain of death –to finish his machine!

 Dreams can work wonders—if only we know how to utilize them.

Visalakshi Ramani
 
He could have avoided the whole scam, if he had

kept awake and alert in the first place!
People in power should be always 'On Guard'. :violin:

A person can't become a Hero when he acts like a Nero!
 
Hello Dear VR,
You are Right about the Dreams can give solutions.
It is the ability of the mind to accomplish a Task when one is thinking repeatedly one Issue or other.
This is what Our Ex President Dr.Kalam was Advising students.
The Deep Involvement makes you thing on the subject and helps us to Accomplish the task.It is positive thinking.
If you belive something will not work out then it will not happen.
Thank you for the enlightening about Dreams.
Dreams come TRUE.

Alwan
 
Dear Mr. Alwan,
When we are awake we get distracted by the thousands things happening around us. We are not able to utilize all our knowledge in solving the problem.
But when we sleep, the world is shut off. The mind /brain digs in to the store- house of information and finds the correct solution.
Dreams can work wonders - provided we know how to make use of them.
with warm regards,
V.R.
 
#70. Why do we day dream?


A day dream is a visual fantasy experienced by us, while we are wide awake. Usually it is based on pleasant and happy thoughts, hopes and ambitions, plans for the future or memories of the past. A series of thoughts transport us from the present to a day dream. We sit staring into a distance with blank eyes while the mind is absorbed in the day dream.

 Surveys have proved that even ordinary men and women (who are down to earth and practical) spend a large part of their waking hours in some sort of a fantasy, revere or day dream. They spend 11% or more of their waking hours in day dreaming.

 Even persons who are engaged in important tasks, which demand all their attention, are found to indulge in day dreams. These are the moments they stop paying attention to what they do and enter an inner theatre of imagination, for the fulfillment of a wish. The work may go on mechanically due to constant practice but the mind is else where.

 Sustained fantasies are clearer than dream since we are wide awake. They are longer, more coherent, more colourful and more accurate. All fantasies seem to have a healing and creative power. It may be a way of coping with our deep seated fears and anxieties.

 Day dreaming might be considered by some skeptics as a waste of time or as a past time of the lazy people. But creative people such as novelists, film makers and composers get brilliant ideas when they day dream.

 Research scientists, mathematicians, and physicists develop new concepts and find new solutions to old problems when they day dream. When a person day dreams, his normal inhibitions are by-passed.

 For hard core criminals, this provides a mental theatre to plan and rehearse a crime, before they actually commit it. The evidences lay in the horror filled biographies of the infamous serial killers. They claim to have had frequently recurring violent fantasies-before actually turning to murder.

 Day dreaming is a rare boon indeed! We should know how to make the best of that boon for creation and not for destruction.

Visalakshi Ramani


 
#71. Brain Washing!


Human brain is a sensation addict. It demands a continuous stream of information from the sensory organs. When faced with a sensory vacuum, the brain may turn to invention with hallucination and delusion, substituting for the real experiences.

 Extreme cases of sensory deprivations will lead to a major crisis and a painful one too. Sensory deprivation in the form of solitary confinement had been used as a form of punishment and torture for a very long time. Its dangerous psychological impacts have been recognized now.

 Brain washing is an attempt to change the thoughts and beliefs of a person, against his will. It tries to control the mind of a person and manipulate his actions without his consent.

 Brain washing techniques are found highly successful after the person “has been softened up” by solitary confinement for long periods.

 In a study in Canada, volunteers were placed in a dark and sound-proof room with no objects to touch. Within 36 hours 25 out of 29 persons started to hallucinate. Some of them saw dots and flickering lights while some others lost their self identity.

 After 48 hours, most people opted out of the experiment. At the same time, just after 2 days of solitary confinement most of them found it difficult to return to the outside world again.

 However, voluntary sensory deprivation for a short period is found to have many beneficial effects. It promotes a person’s creativity, makes him more relaxed, provides opportunity for greater insight, and modifies his habits and behaviour to become a better person.

 The much sought after meditation is nothing but voluntary sensory deprivation for short periods, with profound beneficial effects on the body, mind and emotions of the person who meditates.

Visalakshi Ramani


 
[FONT=comic sans ms,sans-serif]Dear friends,

The much awaited month of MArgazhi is here again!

I attend the Ushath kAla pUja in our colony temple, where we sing ThiruppAvai and ThiruvembAvai everyday.

So I will be away from home 6 A.m to 8 A.M.

The scheduled power cut in our area is from 10 A.M. to 12 noon. That means I will be able to post my regular threads only after 12 noon-for the next one month.

Alternately I can post my regular threads the previous night itself. This is what I intend to do.

Happy MArgazhi and Happy pAvai nOnbu!

yours sincerely,
Visalakshi Ramani.[/FONT]
 
#72. When we tell a lie…


Human beings have learnt a special art not found in the animal kingdom—The Art of telling Lies! It is one of the greatest conquests of the human consciousness. To tell a lie involves these two things; the speaker knows that what he says is not true; all the same he wants the listener to believe it to be true.

 Most children begin to lie when are two or three years old. A simple denial with a mono syllable “no” is the first lie they learn to tell. But the children betray themselves by laughing nervously, when they tell a lie.

 Three or four year old children place a hand in front of their mouth while telling a lie. The mouth speaks a lie and it should be hidden from the others. Five year old’s are smarter and don’t cover their mouths. But they look down or look away and avoid eye contacts. By the time the child is 8 years old, he would have become a cool and confident liar!

 Even adults use body language while telling a lie. They look to the left or to the right of their feet. False facial expressions are forced and asymmetrical while natural expressions are symmetrical and pleasant. In fact facial expressions are as reliable as the lie-detectors.

 Lie detectors measure a number of physical indicators of stress like blood pressure, pulse rate, respiration, skin conductivity etc. Random questions are put to the suspect and the stress level generated in each, is recorded. A skilled interpreter can read the polygraphs. But a skilled liar can cheat the lie detector by not feeling stressed while lying.

 Some types of lies are not venomous or damaging. “Jocose Lies” are told in good humor and wit and are enjoyed by the listeners. “White Lies” offer some benefits to both the liar and the listener. They are harmless lies, told to avoid harmful and devastating truths.

 A “Noble Lie” may cause unrest if it were discovered. It is the “Official lie” told by the government, in order to maintain law and order, during a crisis. It helps the elite to remain in power–in spite of the existing crisis.

 The main advantage of not telling a lie is that we don’t have to remember what we had told and to whom, where and when!

Visalakshi Ramani
 
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